Finally..... double hose....

[oldschoolto]

After looking and looking and refusing to give up, I just bought a pristine aqua-lung aqua master regulator to go with my old school twin steel 72's with a cheater doubles bar..... This will be the same rig I dove in 1974, I'm like a kid on christmas morning.... Can't wait to go dive it....

Jim....

 

[elan]

Please post the pics when you get it! I love my royal although do not have many partners to dive it with.

 

[Luis H]

Congratulations.


There are several of us in Southern Maine, near Portland.

 

[oldschoolto]

I will get down to southern Maine next summer to go diving with you Luis..... My wife Fran and I are headed to Bonaire in March.... And I'll post pictures when I get the regulator ... The only problem I see is having to break down the tanks to get them filled... Unless I use a whip and transfer from alum 80's.. What do others do to fill doubles when the fill station only does single tanks ?

Jim...

 

[Doubler]

I'm confused, if a fill station can pump singles why can't they pump doubles?

 

[herman]

Welcome back to DH diving. You will find them very different than it was back in the day if you service your reg with the modern upgraded parts and esp if you add the modifications that have been made over the last few years like the Phoenix and the HPR. The breathing resistance and performace have improved greatly.

While I can fill my doubles (steel 38's) at the LDS ( DM for them so I can DIY), I often use a fill whip on them and fill from well filled modern tanks. 72'S I would not worry too much about but I don't trust just any tank monkey to fill my 38's.....I really don't want 3000+ in 1800psi tanks. In the end, getting a vintage manifold is the better option unless you have a compressor of your own.

---------- Post Merged at 06:40 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:38 AM ----------

I'm confused, if a fill station can pump singles why can't they pump doubles?

He has a cheater manifold....odds are the shop has never seen one and would be scared to death to fill it.

 

[oldschoolto]

I'm confused, if a fill station can pump singles why can't they pump doubles?

I have two different problems to deal with.... 1: Using a cheater bar that "MOST" people know nothing about.. 2: The fill station where I get air has a explosion proof dry fill cabinet that can only takes single cylinders...

Tell me more about this "Phoenix" and HPR mod's herman...

Jim

 

[simonbeans]

Jim
The easiest way to learn about the Phoenix and the HPR module is to go to vintagedoublehose.com and look in the forum section on the Phoenix. Go back through some of the threads to get an understanding of the Phoenix, and the new development of the HPR second stage. I believe that you will be able to get more information than what Herman or those of us who have been using/were part of the development/testing, etc can relate in a few words. Needless to say, the Phoenix has provided double hose divers with the necessitated appendages that modern dive ops require, and the HPR makes the 2 stage USD and Voit regulators breathe better than originally designed.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The PRAM (Phoenix Royal Aquamaster) is essentially a new inlet fitting and balanced first stage for a DA Aquamaster or Voit Navy (or a Royal Aquamaster, but that's a bit of a sin). It adds 3 HP ports and 3 LP ports and uses the guts out of a Aqualung Titan first stage. The balanced first stage improves performance while the LP and HP ports allow the use of modern accessories such as an octo and power inflator.

The HPR is a new second stage for the above double hose regulators that further gives another slight boost in performance - and it solves some hard to find parts issues.

But along with those developments, the other major major boosts in performance were modern silicone second stage diaphragms, butterfly valves and mushroom valves that along with new wagon wheels further reduce inhalation and exhalation effort.

When I started collecting and diving double hose regs about 15 years ago, new parts were either very rare or non existent and getting an old DH reg back in service meant lots of searching for serviceable parts, or refurbishing unserviceable parts. New hoses came first, then mouthpieces, then the flood gate more or less opened with other repro parts available to make common DH regs like the DA Aquamaster better than new.

It's sort of a golden age for double hose regs - again.

---------- Post Merged at 09:39 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 09:33 AM ----------

I have two different problems to deal with.... 1: Using a cheater bar that "MOST" people know nothing about.. 2: The fill station where I get air has a explosion proof dry fill cabinet that can only takes single cylinders...

I stopped at a new shop in VA (that I'll leave nameless) a couple years ago and asked the brand new to diving owners how they'd fill doubles in their nice new single tank vault. They replied they'd just have to take them apart and put them back together, but filling them would not be a problem. I looked around and wondered if the structure would really stand the 3442 psi ambient pressure it would take to fill them in that manner. I doubted it.

 

[oldschoolto]

The fill cabinet can do 4 cylinders at a time, They have a "VERY NICE" 6 cylinder bank setup... The best public taxes money can buy... Just can't put doubles in it and They are by the book... So no way are they gonna play fill it out of the cabinet....

Jim